Championship match bound! The Chattanooga Mocs men's tennis team earned a thrilling and hard-fought 4-3 victory over NC Central in the semifinal round of the 2025 UTR Sports NIT Championship on Thursday afternoon at the Rome Tennis Center in Rome, Georgia.
Following the win, Chattanooga (14-11) punches its ticket to the 2025 UTR NIT Championship final match tomorrow (Friday, May 9) against Saint Mary's (CA) at 10 a.m. in Rome, Ga. The Mocs have now won four of its last five matches and will face a SMC squad who defeated Morgan State (W, 4-0) and Rider (W, 4-1) to earn its spot in tomorrow's title dual.
NC Central jumped out to a 1-0 lead following back-and-forth action in doubles play, where the team point was ultimately decided by a 7-5 decision in favor of NCCU at the top pairing.
Ryan Mudre and Jaxon Lamb earned a 7-5 victory in the No. 2 hole to provide UTC with a doubles winner.
In singles, Chattanooga raced out to a 3-1 lead in the team score following wins from Kristof Kincses (7-5, 6-4) at No. 5, Gabriel Castillo (6-4, 6-4) at No. 2 and Lamb (5-7, 6-2, 6-2) in the No. 6 slot. NCCU tied the match 3-3 with comeback wins at No. 1 and No. 3 before Cortland Grove provided the match-clincher (6-7, 6-3, 6-4) at No. 4.
Complete info including the field, previous draw results and more can be found below. All matches will be streamed LIVE on Playsight with live results available courtesy of iOnCourt. Links are located below and on the schedule page.
Semifinal Match Results
Chattanooga 4, NC Central 3
Singles
1. Hugo Hidalgo Vega (NCCU) def. Jakub Jupa (UTC) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
2. Gabriel Castillo (UTC) def. Kareem Abdul Hakim (NCCU) 6-4, 6-4
3. Rodrigo Alves (NCCU) def. Ryan Mudre (UTC) 1-6, 6-3, 7-6
4. Cortland Grove (UTC) def. Naresh Bharathy (NCCU) 6-7, 6-3, 6-4
5. Kristof Kincses (UTC) def. Antoni Pankowski (NCCU) 7-5, 6-4
6. Jaxon Lamb (UTC) def. Leo Fortier-Gariepy (NCCU) 5-7, 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
1. Rodrigo Alves/Hugo Hidalgo Vega (NCCU) def. Jakub Jupa/Gabriel Castillo (UTC) 7-5
2. Ryan Mudre/Jaxon Lamb (UTC) def. Kareem Abdul Hakim/Oliver Saarinen (NCCU) 7-5
3. Antoni Pankowski/Leo Fortier-Gariepy (NCCU) def. Ethan Carr/Walker Valentine (UTC) 6-3
Records/Notes
NC Central 17-7
Chattanooga 14-11
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (5,2,6,1,3,4)
2025 UTR NIT Championships
Dates: May 7-9, 2025 (all times listed ET)
Location: Rome Tennis Center · Rome, Ga.
Follow: Watch · Live Results
Field: Chattanooga, Morgan State, New Mexico State, NC Central, UNC Asheville, Rider, Saint Mary's (CA)
Quarterfinals – May 7
M1: Chattanooga (BYE)
M2: Rider 4, UNC Asheville 1
M3: NC Central 4, NM State 3
M4: Saint Mary's (CA) 4, Morgan State 0
Semifinals – May 8
M5: Chattanooga 4, NC Central 3
M6: Saint Mary's (CA) 4, Rider 1
Championship – May 9
M7: Chattanooga vs. Saint Mary's (CA) (10 a.m.)
About the UTR NIT Championships
Launched in 2023, the NIT Championship was created by UTR Sports to allow men's and women's teams to gain valuable postseason experience. The teams are selected by the NIT Championship tournament committee, with the teams' UTR Sports College Team Ranking among the top criteria for consideration. The 2025 edition marks the third annual post-season NIT tennis tournament and will feature seven men's and eight women's teams.